Feedback on my article in the CoSoZo Living Magazine & my Reply

The Experience of our First Fitness DVD - "Z-Box Fitness - the Workout"

I wanted to write about the production of our first fitness DVD. It was a rollercoaster ride, but at the end, it was wonderful learning experience.
As most of you know, Donna and I have been working on our own program for many years. We tried many ways to combine different fitness techniques into one class. From "Fitness Fusion" to "Ultimate Fitness" we felt we were getting real close.
With the help of our Fitness Motivators Team Instructors, Z-Box Fitness was born. The "Z" is short of "Z.E.N.". Z.E.N. stands for Zone Envision Earth. Z-Box blends cardio boxing, dance, and body toning. Since we were introduced to Tai Chi at a very young age, we decided to develop our own "Chi" moves and added relaxation to the end.... Making Z-Box the perfect balance for a dynamic fitness program!
In 2009 we decided to make it a trademark name. It wasn't easy filing for the trademark without an attorney, but we did it! It was such a stressful time dealing with the government on our own, one minute I was crying and the next minute I was in joy! Finally, one year later, we were approved for the trademark! When that piece of paper came in the mail, I had a silent moment with my little dogs, laughter and crying in joy, because WE DID IT! Of course when I was finished with my moment, I called my family and told them!
Moving on to the next step, Donna and I had a decision to make... open a studio or create a fitness DVD. We plan to do both, but started our plan with the fitness DVD. We have been searching for a studio space, but we cannot find the perfect location that will meet the needs of all of our students. We have very supportive students, all the way in Milford to Birmingham, we wanted a central location. We are concentrating on Livonia, close to the freeways, in between the cities that we teach in, and hopefully close enough for most of our students.

Getting back to Z-Box, Donna and I started our search for the perfect production team. I did my research with production teams that worked with fitness videos and most of them came out of CA and IL. We almost signed up with the Chicago team, but then a name was referred to us from one of Donna's clients. We met with "him". and although his price came in extremely high, we thought this would be a perfect match because he was a referral (the brother-in-law of the referral!) and he told us that, "his price was the best out there and he is doing it for that price because he was a referral from his brother-in-law".

Needless to say, the day of the shoot was a complete disaster! Although we tried to make the best of it, it was very hard to concentrate. From the entire team slipping on the floor to the lighting used in the production, it was doomed from the minute it began. The entire footage taped was not usable and tossed in the garbage. We wanted to use this experience as a stepping stone for something better.

Within two weeks, a family friend, David (David is a member of the Channel 955 DJ Bomb Squad - DJ David B) and my daughter found us the perfect production team, Paul Martindale and his crew. We actually were able to tape where we wanted to... Downtown Detroit! The backdrop was PERFECT and the entire experience was PERFECT! Our DVD was taped in HD and everything was shot like it was a movie set! With me being a techie geek, I also fell in love with all of their equipment! :-)

I will always look back to our second production day as one of the best days of my life and I thank God for the experience! I appreciated everyone that was part of the production and truly am proud of every second. It was a very expensive learning tool for us, that we had to experience something REALLY bad, to get to something really good! I will always appreciate Paul (and his crew) and our team of Instructors that worked real hard on this project for making our dream a reality. I also love and appreciate our students. Without our students, this DVD would never have been made.

We received our DVDs the day before Thanksgiving! The orders have been pouring in and the reviews and feedback (so far) have been excellent! We are keeping our fingers crossed for other things that we have been working on for this DVD and pray that things will continue to be positive. Z-Box Fitness - the Workout DVD
Debbie's Side Note: Life is one big experience. At times we may only see the bad and the ugly. There are so many people out there that wants to take full advantage of us. The mean and evil people are the ones that we notice when it is too late. When our path seems to be dark, there is always a light at the end... it depends on which direction you choose to take.

We may stumble along the way and trip over bad decisions, but learn from them and keep lifting each foot to each beat of your heart. Sometimes lifting your feet will become heavy, and those are the times that you should lean on the ones that you trust and love. Let them hold you up for a brief second... until you are able to stand tall, like a tree and make waves, like turning the pages to the next Chapter of your life. Be that tree and don't let someone make you fall. Be strong and keep pushing for something that you believe in.
My entire life was and still is like that. I try to keep my feet grounded and will always work hard for something that I believe in. I am able to cry and let go. When someone tries to pull me down, I bob and weave... Let them try to jab at me, because they will always miss their target. I use my creativity, my strength in faith, my positive attitude, and the love of my family to keep me going. I have used the negativity that crossed my path into something positive. I believe in karma.

I wanted to end this with a picture of Donna. I took this picture of Donna in a field of Sunflowers. Donna loved Sunflowers ALL of her life and when we had this opportunity to go to a field of Sunflowers, I wanted to take it no matter what! We had mosquitoes and bees trying to attack us LOL We walked in mud and tripped over branches and big holes in the ground and it felt like forever to get to the field. Once we got there, I saw Donna's face and she looked like a little girl that just saw Santa Claus. She looked so happy and was living one of her dreams on her Bucket List. I was able to capture the moment and it made me feel so good inside! I look at this picture often and will cherish it for life.